When Dave Stewart left his family-run agency business to become the general manager of the Diamondbacks in 2014, his wife, Lonnie Murray, had a decision to make.

Should she continue to represent players in her husband’s absence, a decision that would invite drama, awkwardness and some unusual optics? Or should she put it aside and focus on being a mom and a wife, cutting ties not only with a business she helped run for more than a decade but also with clients she and her husband lovingly referred to as “our kids”?

Murray said she hadn’t totally made up her mind when her son, Tarik, sort of made the decision for her.

“My son comes to me and says, ‘Mom, I’m really proud of you,’” Murray recalled. “‘Proud of me for what?’ And he said, ‘Continuing to run the business. That’s pretty cool that my mom is a sports agent.’ For my son to say that struck a chord with me.”

Murray’s decision to continue the business – the San Diego-based Sports Management Partners represents 31 professional players in the majors and minors -- raised a host of questions and concerns.

Some have been addressed, some haven’t. And some are still playing themselves out at Diamondbacks camp, where the club is working to finalize its 25-man roster in advance of Opening Day.

Among those competing for a roster spot are catcher Chris Herrmann and reliever Enrique Burgos. Both are former clients of Stewart, the club’s GM. Both are current clients of Murray, the GM’s wife.

It’s a situation without precedent in baseball, but those involved say the proper mechanisms are in place to ensure conflicts of interest do not arise.

For one, Murray says the “conditional” agent certification she was granted by the Major League Baseball Players Association requires her to recuse herself from a negotiation involving the Diamondbacks. She also said she must explain to her clients, in writing, the potential conflicts involved in using her as their representation.

From the club side, Stewart points out the layers in the organization’s decision-making process. Decisions are not made unilaterally; many involve Chief Baseball Officer Tony La Russa, manager Chip Hale and other executives and coaches. That includes the arbitration process, which is generally handled by others on the club’s baseball operations staff.

Murray represents six players in the Diamondbacks organization: Burgos, Herrmann, pitcher Yoan Lopez, outfielder Jason Bourgeois, infielder Domingo Leyba and pitcher Jeferson Mejia. All have varying degrees of value; few in baseball, if anyone, would raise questions about their viability within a major league organization.

La Russa said he understands the sensitivity of the situation, but he came at it from a different angle, saying the team can’t ignore Murray’s clients – or, if she weren’t involved, former Stewart clients – without risking harm to the organization.

“Herrmann is a left-handed hitting catcher (who is) versatile,” La Russa said. “That’s valuable. Suppose you say, ‘Well, I’m not going to get involved with somebody who has a history with Dave or now with Lonnie because of perceived conflict.’ Then you don’t end up getting the player.”

A family business

After a playing career that lasted 16 seasons in the majors, Stewart remained in the game in various capacities, working in big-league front offices and on major league coaching staffs before founding SMP in 2002. Murray was working for a nonprofit when the two met a couple of years later.

“He was on the board and I did development work,” Murray said, adding with a laugh, “We met at a board meeting, so our relationship has always been professional.”

Stewart never had a stable of clients as sizable as any of the larger agencies, but he had good players. His most high-profile client was San Diego Padres outfielder Matt Kemp, for whom Stewart negotiated an eight-year, $160 million deal when Kemp was with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Murray says maintaining the business wasn’t a decision she took lightly. In the fall of 2014, there were longtime SMP clients approaching key moments in their careers -- pitcher Chad Billingsley was finally healthy and looking for a new deal, slugger Chris Carter was entering arbitration – and Murray equated leaving them behind to uprooting a family. That’s a word – family – that she and her clients use often.

“That’s one thing that I really like about that company,” Burgos said. “They make you feel like a family. They might not have a lot of players, but the treatment you get is really good.”

When Stewart left, plans initially were put in place to transfer SMP to former big-leaguer Dave Henderson. But Murray says Henderson’s health problems limited his role with the company.

“He became my Stew,” Murray said. “But what a lot of people don’t know is that when he started to get more involved was also when he started to get more sick.”

Henderson died in December of a massive heart attack, a month after undergoing a kidney transplant.

Murray didn’t want to walk away, but she also didn’t want to do something that might stand in the way of her husband’s dream job. She said fellow agent John Boggs helped convince her to remain in the business after Stewart’s departure.

“I talked to him about my concerns and he said, ‘Lonnie, you’ve got be sh-----g me,’” Murray said. “He said, ‘Don’t you concern yourself with what other people think is wrong with this because you know what type of person you are and you know what type of person David is. Anybody else who has a problem, it’s their problem.’”

Though Murray was heavily involved at SMP for years, she wasn’t a certified agent. Becoming one after Stewart left wasn’t easy. The players association requires agents to go through a certification process; Murray’s wasn’t standard.

“The players association needed to make sure that they were comfortable, that’s the most simple way for me to put it,” Murray said. “It actually ended up being almost a year until I got my certification. We went through a lot to make sure that the checks and balances were in place.”

Before she received her certification last fall, Murray said the union allowed her to continue running the business by using the services of another certified agent in situations when a contract needed to be finalized.

When reached for comment, Greg Bouris, the MLBPA’s director of communications, issued a statement: “The MLBPA is aware of the relationship between Lonnie Murray and Dave Stewart, and Murray's agent certification has restrictions in place that take into account the potential conflicts.”

Pat Courtney, Major League Baseball’s chief communications officer, said the commissioner’s office did not know Stewart’s wife was representing players on the Diamondbacks until being contacted by a reporter. In a statement, Courtney said the league was “discussing with the MLBPA and (the Diamondbacks) to ensure that proper protocols have been put in place.”

Bouris said Murray is one of eight women certified by the union as agents.

Targeting integrity, professionalism

For 29 teams, Murray is just another agent. Things are different when she deals with the Diamondbacks. She said she has tried to avoid Salt River Fields, the club’s spring training home, “to avoid any perception of conflict,” going only once last month for her husband’s birthday.

She felt she had her integrity tested last year when she heard from one of her clients that Lopez, a Cuban import who received an $8 million bonus from the Diamondbacks in January 2015, was looking for new representation. She tracked down his number but wasn’t sure what to do.

“It was the first person that had come to me from within the organization,” Murray said. “That was awkward for me. I sat on it for two to three days. I didn’t want to talk to David about it. It was personal and it was mine to handle, and I figured, ‘Oh crap, this is what they’re talking about. If I talk to David about this, that would jeopardize my integrity.’”

Stewart is respected in the game for being up-front and direct, and those who know him strongly debate any suggestion that he would make decisions based on anything other than what’s best for the Diamondbacks.

“I know the integrity of what he represents personally and professionally overwhelms any other potential motivation or decision,” La Russa said. “If you disagree with a trade that was made or the evaluation that I make, then you have that right. But it won’t be because there was a flaw in the process.”

As an example, La Russa cited the ongoing competition for the backup catcher’s job between Herrmann and Tuffy Gosewisch, calling it a “hellacious battle.”

“If that decision goes for Chris,” La Russa said, “it won’t be because he’s represented by Lonnie. We have too much at stake.”

That hasn’t stopped the more cynically inclined from concocting scenarios in which motives could be questioned:

Could Stewart push behind the scenes for his wife’s clients to be on the major league roster?

Down the line, what if Burgos, Herrmann or another player is a borderline arbitration candidate – would Stewart advocate for that player to be tendered a contract, even if he weren’t directly involved in the arbitration process?

La Russa points to Stewart’s 41 years in the game as evidence of the integrity he brings to his position.

“Dave and I have paid a lot of attention over the years looking in the mirror and wanting to be respected and perceived as loving the game and wanting to add to it,” La Russa said. “I know that’s true about Dave and I’ve tried the same thing.

“In the end, if you compromise your integrity in any way, not only are you done professionally, personally you’re done.”

While Stewart has traded for multiple players he previously represented, including Herrmann and Leyba, he says he has turned down a number of former clients looking for jobs. He says his knowledge of his former clients can only help the organization, not hurt it.

“I’m not going to bring a player here that can’t help us,” Stewart said. “You can imagine how many calls I’ve gotten from clients who were released by teams and are looking for jobs. I can’t compromise that.”

Stewart says that when he has considered acquiring former clients, he’s up front with La Russa and others in the organization about his prior relationship with them. Ultimately, La Russa has the final say on matters.

To that point, Murray joked that she would have much more influence on the Diamondbacks if she were married to someone else. “I’d have to marry Tony for it really be a concern,” she said, laughing.

Both Murray and Stewart say they don’t talk about baseball when they’re away from the game. Murray says they don’t have time for it.

What they’re more likely to discuss is their family, including Tarik, now a student at University of Arizona. Murray says her son is considering law school down the road, a possible step toward joining the family business.

“It’s neat, the potential that my son is going to follow in my footsteps,” she said. “How awesome would that be for me to be able to say that?”

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Meet the Diamondbacks' Opening Day roster: LHP Andrew Chafin. Vitals: 6-2, 225 Age: 25. 2015: 2.76 ERA, 75 innings. Scout’s take: “I like him. He pitches with heart. He’s not afraid. He’ll go after the big boys. Anybody that lives out of a fifth-wheel must have some thick skin. He’s not afraid of the elements. He’s solid for me.” David Kadlubowski/azcentral sports

LHP Patrick Corbin. Vitals: 6-3, 210. Age: 26. 2015: 3.60, 85 innings. Scout’s take: “He’s 92-94 mph with a slider that’s hard and biting and will go in on right-handed hitter’s back foot. It’s really good. It’s probably between a 60 or a 70 (on a 20-to-80 scouting scale). He’s thrown (his change-up) here in spring training and it’s really good. That’s three plus pitches. With Greinke, Shelby Miler and Corbin, they have a chance to be one of the best 1-2-3 combinations in the game. They can be really special.” David Kadlubowski/azcentral sports

LHP Robbie Ray. Vitals: 6-2, 195. Age: 24. 2015: 3.52 ERA, 127 2/3 innings. Scout’s take: “He sits 93-95 with his fastball. Last year, his slider was his best secondary, but his change-up so far this year has been really good. The thing with him is, can he command it? He has the stuff to be better than a back of the rotation guy.” David Kadlubowski/azcentral sports

RHP Brad Ziegler. Vitals: 6-4, 220. Age: 36. 2015: 1.85 ERA, 68 innings. Scout’s take: “You have to watch him night in and night out to appreciate who he is. We go into our meetings and they say they want a guy who is reliable, trustworthy, gets outs, works fast and throws strikes, but when Brad Ziegler’s name comes up, we forget that’s what he does night in and night out. That’s because he doesn’t do it sexy. It’s not 95 mph.” David Kadlubowski/azcentral sports

RHP Daniel Hudson. Vitals: 6-3, 235. Age: 29. 2015: 3.86 ERA, 67 2/3 innings. Scout’s take: “My heart goes out to this guy for going through what he went through. He’s always had the stuff to be really special. He had a couple of hiccups last year coming back. But he’s got rhythm and tempo going now. His direction is solid. His stuff can really shut down an offense when he’s on.” David Kadlubowski/azcentral sports

RHP Jake Barrett. Vitals: 6-3, 220. Age: 24. 2015: 4.58 ERA, 53 innings (minors). Scout’s take: “You talk about a lights-out spring. I saw him last year and liked him a lot, had him as a future setup guy in the big leagues. I still see him as that type. He didn’t have a great year last year, but he still had good stuff last year. It just seems like he’s more confident and more aggressive.” David Kadlubowski/azcentral sports

RHP Josh Collmenter. Vitals: 6-4, 235. Age: 30. 2015: 3.79 ERA, 121 innings. Scout’s take: “What I’m seeing this spring is a little concerning. But hopefully it’s just one of those spring training things that players go through and he’ll be able to get the velocity up and have a little more action on the cutter. I’m not saying he can’t have success at 82 mph but he’s going to have to more action on it.” David Kadlubowski/azcentral sports

RHP Randall Delgado. Vitals: 6-4, 220. Age: 26. 2015: 3.25 ERA, 72 innings. Scout’s take: “I think he’s a nice swingman guy to have who can go multiple innings if your starter gets knocked out early. I wouldn’t really trust him late in the game and I wouldn’t want him to be a rotation-type starter. That role for him, I think, is where he belongs. He’s good in that role.” David Kadlubowski/azcentral sports

RHP Rubby De La Rosa. Vitals: 6-1, 225. Age: 27. 2015: 4.67 ERA, 188 2/3 innings. Scout’s take: “He’s got lights-out stuff, but unfortunately he has lapses. He needs to be able to control those lapses. Everyone is going to have them, but if he can control them you’re looking at a guy who could be a legit mid-rotation type guy if not better. Right now he’s a Number 4 or 5 starter, but his stuff is good enough to be a Number 2 or 3 starter on a championship club.” David Kadlubowski/azcentral sports

RHP Shelby Miller. Vitals: 6-3, 215. Age: 25. 2015: 3.02 ERA 205 1/3 innings. Scout’s take: “He’s got tremendous stuff. He just needs to harness it a little better, become more efficient. He needs to make the pitch when he has to make it. Not overthink the process. I think Mike Butcher is going to do a tremendous job for him. But he’s got to trust a third pitching coach in three years. That’s always a big thing.” David Kadlubowski/azcentral sports

RHP Tyler Clippard. Vitals: 6-3, 201. Age: 31. 2015: 2.92 ERA, 71 innings. Scout’s take: “He hasn’t looked good this spring, but I don’t worry about him because the back of his bubble gum card is really good. He’s got a lot of weapons to get you out with. He’s got good stuff. He’s a really good setup guy. The issue there is if you use him as a closer; that hasn’t always turned out well. He has plus deception on the fastball and he changes speeds really well. He’s solid.” David Kadlubowski/azcentral sports

RHP Zack Greinke. Vitals: 6-2, 195. Age: 32. 2015: 1.66 ERA, 222 2/3 innings. Scout’s take: “He matches up with any Number 1 that you’re going to play against. He can be the stopper in that regard. His ability to be masterful, if you will, hopefully it rubs off on the younger core, to see what this guy does. It’s not all about strikeouts. It’s not all about lighting the radar gun up. It’s about pitching and being efficient.” David Kadlubowski/azcentral sports

CF A.J. Pollock. Vitals: 6-1, 195. Age: 28. 2015: .315 AVG, .865 OPS. Scout’s take: “The fact that the elbow is a reoccurring thing is a little concerning. Is he finally going to have to get shut down? But he’s an All-Star caliber player when he’s on the field. The year he had last year and the changes he’s made with his swing, he made a believer out of me by the end of the year. He’s a different guy.” David Kadlubowski/azcentral sports

2B/3B Brandon Drury. Vitals: 6-1, 215. Age: 23. 2015: .214 AVG, .629 OPS. Scout’s take: “He brings some power. He’s ready and prepared for games. He prepares himself well. He can play multiple positions, but I think his best position is third base. He does not throw at-bats away. He takes every at-bat serious regardless of what the score is.” David Kadlubowski/azcentral sports

C Chris Herrmann. Vitals: 6-0, 200. Age: 28. 2015: .146 AVG, .486 OPS. Scout’s take: “He’s a nice National League piece. He gives you that third-catcher ability, can play some outfield and hit right-handed pitching. He gives you options in far as how you can use him, probably more of a middle-of-the-game pinch hitter, like in the fifth or sixth inning. Nice piece off the bench in terms of his versatility.” David Kadlubowski/azcentral sports

SS/2B Chris Owings. Vitals: 5-10, 190. Age: 24. 2015: .227 AVG, .587 OPS. Scout’s take: “I like Owings. I know he had a down year offensively, maybe it was the shoulder, but I think he still has upside. I think he’ll have a better offensive year this year. He looks better at the plate. I know it’s spring, but he’s showing better plate discipline than he showed last year.” David Kadlubowski/azcentral sports

RF David Peralta. Vitals: 6-1, 215. Age: 28. 2015: .312 AVG, .893 OPS. Scout’s take: “He’s a special player. This guy gives you 100 percent of whatever he’s got in the tank. He’s very efficient in the outfield. He’s become a very good base runner, very good at the plate. It even seems like he’s making some adjustments against left-handed pitching.” David Kadlubowski/azcentral sports

3B Jake Lamb. Vitals: 6-3, 205. Age: 25. 2015: .263 AVG, .716 OPS. Scout’s take: “I like him. I think he’s a solid-average big-leaguer. From what I’ve seen, he’s feeling the pressure of Brandon Drury a little bit. It’s all about worrying about what’s in front of you and not what’s behind you, in a sense. I just think Lamb has just got to not be too quick to get to the game itself, let the game come to him.” David Kadlubowski/azcentral sports

SS/2B Jean Segura. Vitals: 5-10, 205. Age: 26. 2015: .257 AVG, .616 OPS. Scout’s take: “He’s always had the ability to hit and now he has to trust the process and get back to how he was when he first came up. He’ll give you some power, certainly gap power and extra bases potentially, and I think he’s a good baserunner. I think he could benefit form a change of scenery.” David Kadlubowski/azcentral sports

SS Nick Ahmed. Vitals: 6-2, 195. Age: 26. 2015: .226 AVG, .634 OPS. Scout’s take: “Obviously, he can pick it. I think out of all the infielders, he’s the superior, true shortstop. Segura is pretty good, too, but I’d take Ahmed defensively over Segura. The bat was always a question, but he’s been swinging it a little better than I’ve seen in the past. A little more line drive, some more authority. He’s been a little more aggressive.” David Kadlubowski/azcentral sports

1B Paul Goldschmidt. Vitals: 6-3, 225. Age: 28. 2015: .321 AVG, 1.005 OPS. Scout’s take: “I think he’s one of the most underrated players in baseball. I think he’s one of the best players in the game in all facets. He doesn’t have top scale speed but he’s a top scale baserunner. He hits for average, hits for power, he plays plus defense. Playing out west, the games are so late on the East Coast, not everyone gets to see him. He’s tremendous.” David Kadlubowski/azcentral sports

IF/OF Phil Gosselin. Vitals: 6-1, 200. Age: 27. 2015: .311 AVG, .873 OPS. Scout’s take: “He’s a nice bench player. Can play second, third, left field. He gives them some options to be able to rest guys. But he’s going to be probably a solid guy off the bench later in the ballgame, put together good at-bats. He’s hit more than I expected. It’s not the cleanest swing. But he’s got some feel to be able to barrel the baseball up and it comes off a little better than you’d think. He’s got some sneaky pop.” David Kadlubowski/azcentral sports

LF Rickie Weeks Jr. Vitals: 5-10, 220. Age: 33. 2015: .167 AVG, .513 OPS. Scout’s take: “He’s having a really good spring. He brings a veteran presence. He did that role in Milwaukee for years. He did it in Seattle last year and didn’t do so well. He doesn’t really have much infield left in him, so he’s an outfielder/pinch-hitter. I think he’d help the team if they kept him and you always have the younger guys you can go to if he can’t do it.” David Kadlubowski/azcentral sports

OF Socrates Brito. Vitals: 6-1, 200. Age: 23. 2015: .303 AVG, .778 OPS. Scout’s take: “The sky’s the limit for this kid. People have made Garret Anderson comparisons a little bit and that’s not a bad call. He’s a good player. In my limited looks, he does a little of everything well. He looks like he belongs. He sort of looks like he’s been around a while.” David Kadlubowski/azcentral sports

C Tuffy Gosewisch. Vitals: 5-11, 200. Age: 32. 2015: .211 AVG, .542 OPS. Scout’s take: “The bat is always going to be the question with him. He’s more of a catch-and-throw backup type for me. And a good one. You want that in a backup catcher – somebody who can really catch and really throw, handles the pitching staff, the pitchers get along with him, that type of stuff.” David Kadlubowski/azcentral sports

C Welington Castillo. Vitals: 5-10, 210. Age: 28. 2015: .243 AVG, .782 OPS. Scout’s take: “I like him. I like his bat. I like his catch/throw abilities. I like his low-rider, easygoing approach. It’s not just a one-dimensional player. He can do some real damage with the bat. He has the kind of power to hit 15 to 20 homers easily, especially at Chase Field. Was that his ceiling last year? Maybe. But if he comes down a little from that, that’s still pretty good.” David Kadlubowski/azcentral sports

LF Yasmany Tomas. Vitals: 6-2, 255. Age: 25. 2015: .273 AVG, .707 OPS. Scout’s take: “I’m not a fan. What’s weird about him is I thought he’d have more power production. He hit better than I thought he would, but the power wasn’t there. I think he has big raw power, I’ll tell you that, but I want to see him make more adjustments. I still think he’s in the same shape; I don’t think he’s lost any weight. He’s still got huge legs. In left field I think he’s a liability. ” David Kadlubowski/azcentral sports